Sony's Going With FED TV's In 2009, Debuting A 60-Inch Super-Thin CRT-Like TV
While most of us think OLED and "networked" home theater products when looking at the future of Sony, they have yet another television technology up their sleeve. The company recently took over an old Pioneer plant where they plan to start mass producing FED panels in 2009. What is FED? Short for field emission display, FED is a next-gen display technology that takes all of the benefits of cathode ray tube TV's and crunches them into a super-thin display. Think about the deep blacks and total lack of motion blur in old CRT TV's and you have a worthy competitor to LCD and plasma, and OLED since FED panels are much easier to make.
Sony plans to peddle the so-called "dream panels" to big broadcasters and the medical industry first and then slowly work their way into the mainstream consumer market with a 60-inch FED TV debut.
The Niles iRemote TS is an attractive looking wireless remote from Niles Audio, designed to control super-featured home theater systems and whole home distributed A/V systems. Featuring large buttons and a color touchscreen, the iRemote TS uses Zigbee 2-way wireless technology to "provide users with the metadata to scan, select and play program material from menu-based digital sources". Non-Zigbee equipped devices can be controlled by the remote using the usual infrared means and it even comes with its own charging station. The only problem with the iRemote TS is its price: $1300.
Sony: 27-Inch OLED TV's "Awfully Close" To Release
A couple days back at a dinner with reporters and industry analysts in San Francisco, Sony Electronics president and COO Stan Glasgow spilled all kinds of juicy details regarding the goings-on inside the company's home theater business. Perhaps most interesting was Glasgow's comment that Sony's 27-inch OLED TV is "awfully close" to becoming available commercially. First unveiled at CES back in January, the 27-inch OLED TV will be the successor to the 11-inch XEL-1, the world's first commercially available OLED television. The 27-incher is expected to be followed by a 40-inch model which will be impressive, but first Sony has to find ways to better automate OLED panel production, currently very labor intensive. With their recent $210 million investment into OLED production, we're sure this won't be an issue for too much longer.
OLED TV's weren't the only topics of interest discussed though. Here's a few more tidbits from Glasgow:
90% of Sony's products will be wired or wireless by 2010
Expect more video services for Bravia LCD TV's by 2010
In the standalone Blu-ray player market, Sony has a 46% market share in units and 44% market share in dollars without the PS3. With the PS3 included, the company's Blu-ray market share sits somewhere between 95%-98%
Will Smith's Hancock will be offered up on Bravia TV's via the new Bravia Internet Video Link before it is released on DVD
Sony says they are increasing production of Blu-ray players to meet demand and are having no problems acquiring parts
To really see the difference between a Blu-ray disc and upconverted DVD you need a screen size of at least 40 inches, only improving as the screen size increases
The boys over at Format War Central have decided its time to really dig into the guts and soul of some of the standalone Blu-ray players sitting on shelves right now. A new series, appropriately named "Dissected", has chosen as its first victim Panasonic's DMP-BD30K. Featuring a UniPhier processor, this Profile 1.1 player features 24p video output, Dolby TrueHD bitstream output, and DTS-HD Master Audio among those features that stand out. Interestingly, the internals of the DMP-BD30K are pretty minimal which usually signifies the device's design and engineering are super-efficient, hopefully meaning price drops in the near future.
Universal TechTronics And The Art Of Digital TV Converter Box Scamming
It's no surprise that DTV2009 is bringing scammers out of the woodwork. You know, those that take advantage of the lack of consumer awareness surrounding the digital transition in order to make a few bucks. The latest crooked company, Ohio-based Universal TechTronics, has recently been running a campaign offering a "free" digital TV converter box.
The United States Deptartment of Commerce is preparing everyone for the switch to digital television by authorizing payment coupons for certified brands of these special TV boxes.
But the government process has us all tied up.
That's why Universal TechTronics is providing these Miracle ClearView TV boxes immediately to the general public for free for everyone who gets the 5yr. warranty.
The premise behind the offer is that the US government if having trouble pulling through its end of the $40 converter box coupon program and Universal is providing a public service by offering its free Miracle ClearView boxes. The only problem with this is that the box is free with the purchase of a $88 5-year warranty and a nearly $10 shipping charge. The company also claims the Miracle ClearView converter box is certified by the NTIA, but not so. This same company has used questionable sales tactics in the past and has been deemed "unsatisfactory" by the Better Business Bureau. Word to the wise: sometimes it's just better to wait on your $40 coupon.
Roku has made the Netflix Player's source code available on their website so we should be seeing all kind's of new and interesting hacks and features available in the next few days. The Linux-based box, which allows users to order Netflix movies on demand rather than through the mail, is also set to receive an update later this year that'll allow streaming of video content from other "big name" providers. Netflix chief exec Reed Hastings figure DVD sales will peak as early as 2013, being why Netflix is now working on becoming a little more connected and on-demand. Look for Netflix movie rentals incorporated in products by LG Electronics and maybe even the Xbox 360 in the future as well.
Texas Instruments' DLP Pico Projector Caught On Video
The folks over at CrunchGear managed to get their hands on the newest prototype of Texas Instruments' DLP pico projector, crammed into a stripped down Blackberry Curve. Despite the fact the Curve was gutted, the newest rendition of the DLP Pico is the smallest yet, less than half the size of previous prototypes.
Panasonic's PT-DZ12000 DLP Projector Displays Images On Curved Surfaces, Cooled By Water
Projector's can display images on curved surfaces? Run on water? No way. But wait, yes they can. Just ask Panasonic whose PT-D12000 and PT-DZ12000 get a big checkmark on both counts. Both projectors can display images on curved surfaces thanks to dedicated LSI. Unlike other models that display on curved surfaces, the new Panasonic models require no extra external components. Believe it or not the PT-DZ12000 is cooled by water too. Not entirely surprising given some of the projectors' heat-generating specs. Both projectors run on three DLP chips, and feature four 300 W built-in lamps resulting in a combined 12, 000 lumen brightness rating. Amazingly the PT-DZ12000 features 1920 x 1200 resolution and can project a massive 600-inch image from a minimum distance of only 12.4 meters. Both projectors are looking at an August release, both carrying a rather large $69, 000 price tag.
Panasonic DMP-BD50 BD Live Blu-ray Player Now Available In United States
Panasonic's DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player, highly anticipated since CES 2008, and boasting some high-end features such as BD Live and internal DTS-HD audio decoding is finally starting to show up on shelves in the US. Nothing from any of the big box outlets yet, but it is available from 6th Ave from which you can order the DMP-BD50 through Amazon. You'll pay a high-end price for the enhanced features though. The anticipated $700 price tag was actually a little on the low end. 6th Ave has the BD Live player pinned at $749.
New Logo From Toshiba Connected To The Blu-ray Killing DVD Player?
Early in June we got word that Toshiba was working on an HD-enabled DVD player that featured enhanced image scaling capabilities resulting in a picture quality similar to that of Blu-ray. Apparently it's no joke, as the DVD Forum, chaired by Toshiba, has released a new logo that's rumored to be directly related to the super-powered DVD player. It's also now widely believed that the player will use Toshiba's SpursEngine 1000 CPU and judging by the 'Download DL' portion of the new logo will feature interactive and connected capabilities similar to those of Blu-ray's Profile 2.0. What's really surprising is that at the same June 11 meeting that produced the new logo, Toshiba continued talks regarding the now-dead HD DVD format!
DTV2009: First Orlando Analog Shutoff Goes Off Smoothly
The first test run of Orlando's analog shutoff has gone off successfully. The 12 stations that participated cut their analog signals for 10 seconds last Wednesday affecting 365, 000 households. Those that weren't ready for the February 17, 2009 switch saw a black screen and those that were ready saw a message confirming they passed the test. Given that the test affected such a great number of household, it was impressive to see that only 501 viewers called in to complain. It wasn't entirely a surprise though, only 7% of viewers affected receive their broadcast signals over-the-air.
Mitsubishi's iSP 149 LCD Lineup Reproduces 5.1 Surround Sound Straight From The TV
Mitsubishi isn't a flat panel maker that pops up with something new every second day, but when they announce a product you can guarantee it'll be good. Case in point-the upcoming LaserVue laser TV's. But today they've announced something new and innovative again, a couple of new ultra-thin LCD TV's with something called integrated sound projection (iSP). The iSP 149 line features a couple of new models, the 46-inch LT-46149 and the 52-inch LT-52149, both of which will ship in the United States this month.
What's unique to the new Mitsubishi models is of course the iSP, which actually simulates 5.1 surround sound from a single speaker cabinet found at the bottom of the screen that house a 16-speaker array. By using a simple on-screen setup you can input the room dimensions, where your going to be sitting to watch the TV and the set will bounce sound waves at different angles and output it at intervals through the 16 speakers. With some of the sound hitting your ears indirectly, you get the feel of real surround sound. The TV's are also CableCard-ready, have HDMI and PCM audio support, and feature Smooth 120Hz Film Motion that ensures you won't have to see 24Hz artifacts in slower-moving film scenes. The LT-46149 and LT-52149 will set you back $3299 and $3699 respectively when they hit shelves this month.
byd:sign's New DivX Certified LCD TV A Japanese First
byd:sign's new 19-inch LCD TV's, a black model DC-1902DWB and white model DC-1902DWW, will be the first DivX Certified HDTV's to hit the Japanese market when they're released later in July. DivX has been super aggressive in sticking their brand on the face of seemingly ever piece of home theater equipment coming out lately and has been big in seamlessly moving PC video content to the living room home theater. The byd:sign LCD's feature a DVD player, 1440 x 900 resolution, 500:1 contrast ratio, a USB 2.0 port, SD/MMC/ Memory Stick slot, ATSC/NTSC tuners and HDMI connectivity.
2008 is just flying by, half done already. It's only going to get more exciting from here, so here's a quick month-in-review to get you geared up for the second half of 2008...
Hands-On Review: D-Link's DSM-330 DivX Connected HD Media Player
In an era where "connected" defines the best of the best home theater technology, D-Link's DSM-330 DivX Connected HD media player fits squarely into niche of connected devices that every home entertainment enthusiast must take a seriously look at. Not only is the DSM-330 capable of streaming HD video from your PC to your TV wirelessly or by way of a home ethernet connection, it's the first DivX Connected home entertainment device to hit the North American market. Intrigued? You should be, and if so, should consider taking a look at our hands-on review after the jump.
Sony's Going With FED TV's In 2009, Debuting A 60-Inch Super-Thin CRT-Like TV
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